HONG KONG, February 10, 2012 (AFP) - The Hong Kong government pledged Friday to step up efforts to attract talented workers, after a study showed the Chinese territory is facing a labour shortage due to its ageing population.

The government study forecast a manpower shortfall of 14,000 by 2018, with the workforce growing at a slow annual rate of 0.6 percent, just over half the pace required to maintain an adequate pool of workers.

Hong Kong would need a labour force of 3.6 million in six years to meet demand, it added.

"The government will continue its talent admission schemes to attract talent. We have also relaxed measures to attract non-local students to work in Hong Kong," a government spokeswoman told AFP.

The study showed the labour shortage would not be evenly spread across the workforce.

People with upper-secondary and sub-degree qualifications would be in shortest supply, but there would be a surplus of low-skilled workers.

Finance Secretary John Tsang warned this month that Hong Kong's economy could shrink in the first quarter of 2012 due to weak export markets, before rebounding to post growth of 1.0-3.0 percent over the year.

Tsang said headwinds in Europe and the United States meant the southern Chinese banking and trade centre would "inevitably" experience lower growth than the average of the past decade.

The semi-autonomous city's economy contracted in the second quarter of 2011 before returning to positive territory in the third quarter.